Some of you may have heard there's an Avengers movie out. We went to see it. Some movies, I think "I want my money back" or, worse, "I want my 2 hours back". After plunking down $55 for Avengers, though, my only thought is "I want to do this again!"

I'm happy to give money for worthwhile things. That's the very definition of the free market, isn't it? I also participate in Kickstarter efforts people do. Notice the word 'participate'. You don't "buy" things on Kickstarter, you participate.

For those who do not know, Kickstarter.com lets any creator put up a call for funding for their creative venture. People can just flat-out sponsor, like a PBS fund drive, or pay for various levels to get 'stuff'-- the created item, a chance to participate in the process, or various insider benefits. Kickstarter is very actively used by RPG designers to sell pre-orders on awesome games.

Kickstarter taps into the movie-going experience. While content piracy is driven by ownership, the 'movie model' banks on the value of participation. Content pirates (distinct from Sea Pirates) copy content for different reasons: unavailability, platform choice, DRM hassles, lack of funds, cheapness, politics. People go to the movies out of eagerness, to be with friends, or (occasionally) to kill time.

So what are the differences between the Movie Model and the Ownership Model? Let's list them to see whether Kickstarter fits a Movie Model or an Ownership Model.

Movie Model	Ownership Model
Enjoy the event	Acquire! Acquire!
Pay a high price to participate	Get something that you can't get anywhere else
Add on as many extras as you like (popcorn, candy, drinks)	Save money, be frugal
Exault about the experience with friends	Enjoy in private, solo
Vote with your dollars	Rail against high prices

While Hollywood may be mystified by Why 'The Avengers' Wasn't the Most Pirated Film Last Week, I think they're missing the point. The Avengers is raking in money because it's an awesome Experience. I know a few so-called pirates, and I also know that pretty much all of them paid to go see the Avengers in the movie theatre on opening night. Not because they had to-- because they wanted to.

I think the Movie Model explains why Kickstarter ventures are such a surprising success in our current era of "wanting all content for free". Kickstarter is smart enough to not be about the content, but the community. Just like the Avengers.

Until next month,
Sandy (sandy @ rpg.net)